Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Time for Trump to Put Up or Shut Up

Many observers think the real-estate mogul may not be as outlandishly wealthy as he claims.

Donald Trump should put his money where his mouth is. The real-estate mogul says he’s worth “in excess” of $10 billion. I think he’s lying, as does pretty much every expert and financial journalist who has looked into the question. Forbes has put his net worth at $4.5 billion. Bloomberg says it’s below $3 billion. Billionaire Mark Cuban has cast doubt on whether Trump is even a billionaire at all.

I’ve read the analyses, but common sense always told me he was full of it. Actual multi-billionaires tend not to waste their time recording videos hawking steaks in the Sharper Image catalog. They don’t bother with snake-oil schemes peddling dietary supplements. They don’t claim under oath that much of their net worth depends on how good a mood they’re in. And they don’t threaten to sue anyone who suggests they aren’t as rich as they claim.

This last point is especially significant. Trump’s business model is to exploit his brand as a super-successful Manhattan real-estate mogul. The fact that he is, in reality, a “relatively minor player” in that world, as economics writer Adam Davidson recently noted in The New York Times Magazine, is entirely beside the point. He’s selling the sizzle, not the steak (clearly, not the steaks).

That’s especially true overseas, where he does a large share of his business (he’s in Scotland for some grand opening right now). He’s nowhere near the richest man in America, but he’s arguably the American most famous for being rich. That opens doors in Eastern Europe and Asia. It also improves his mood, which apparently can be a real windfall.

I’ve talked to numerous political pros and quite a few actual billionaires, and the totally uncorroborated theory most of them hold is that Trump never expected to do this well. It was a P.R. stunt that got out of hand. The dog caught the car and now he doesn’t know what to do with it.

10 comments:

Anonymous
said...

There can be no doubt in anyone's mind that Trump is a total con, a fraud, and a pathological liar. (not to mention his obvious psychological problems.) He is completely unfit for any office, let alone the most important job in the world.

It's time for people to finally see him for exactly what he is: an unmitigated disaster for the GOP, a know-nothing, and a threat to America and the world.

The delegates have a heavy responsibility. They need to do what is right, and DUMP TRUMP. Doesn't matter how painful it is, or how mad his supporters will be.

Trump is a con man, convict, mobster, and "an unmitigated disaster for the GOP, a know-nothing, and a threat to America and the world."

For a year now Trump has historic low-favorability CONSISTENTLY. This is a fact, not anecdotal malarkey from Romney-hatingMan or Cimbri. No other major candidates ever had Trump's unfavorability. Even Hillary's is regularly at a littler better level than Trump's, which is not saying much.

Trump is Hillary's only hope; she needs a VERY sick opponent to have a chance in the general election. A sexist racist like Trump suits Hillary's wishlist to a "T."

Trump is not an "America First" Traditionalist.

1) His wife is a foreigner who only speaks broken English. Melania sounds like Dracula's sister.

2) Trump has refused to release his tax returns and repeatedly lied about details, his worn-out excuses are false.

3) Trump's record is one of him hiring mobsters and foreign-born illegal aliens for DECADES.

4) Trump expressed the brutish opinion that America has not been great in 116 years. He seems medieval.

5) Trump disparages human rights, the Bill of Rights. He mocks free speech rights and christianity, slapping the face of the faithful with false-Falwell-Jr photo op featuring Trump's portrait on the cover of Playboy, framed and on the background wall as a trophy.

6) Trump does not even reverence the Rule Of Law, the governing mechanic in a Republic for a free people. He regularly ignores the law, and corruptly ABUSES it as his way of life. Taxpayers foot the bill of his lawlessness. And MANY citizens have been threatened and harmed by Trump.

7) There is anti-semitic hatred in Trump, extreme sexism, and racism. These traits are thoroughly not the American Tradition.

8) Israel is a core ally of America, and Trump goes out of his way to insult and degrade Israel. His comments about Israel are outrageous lies and false accusations.

Trump is HIGHLY offensive to Americans by his mistreatment of Israel. Putting America First is supporting our allies, not attacking them as Obama and Trump do. Israel is a tangible ally, but the invisible ties of love between our countries and the way both countries share a love for freedom, decency, compassion, and ethics is even more priceless and valuable to us.

Trump is a disgusting lowbrow phony, "the short fingered vulgarian." Endlessly there is one oafish, boorish blunder upon another by Trump. America is wasted on Trump. Trump's not grateful for thousands of years of enlightenment and our nation's struggle to be a free and blessed land.

Trump truly has a mean spirit. His violence and inconsiderate selfish are beyond the pale thick. In American political discourse over many decades nobody conducted their lives as self-centered and vulgarly as Donald Trump. It is HIS fault.

It is not surprising to discover Trump's Yukon brothel/hotel/restaurant background, or that his grandfather came from the war-crimes-riddled Bavaria.

We must stop the evil burden that is Trump. Mammon is the potential corrupting influence that can accompany wealth.

I hope our Republican delegates successfully drop the folly of putting a Democrat in charge of our Party, after all the years of our Party working to stop the corruption, Big Brother Regime, and very The Establishment that Trump fueled and funded.

Trump's a Pelosi-loving Insider. One cannot loudly enough underline Martha's summary that Trump is a dangerous know-nothing to Republicans, America, and the World. His zany and dissolute persona is an imminent threat to the lives of our beloved troops.

We need you Delegates. We need you to be strong and support our troops with a powerful and respectable Commander in Chief.

We need to break the emergency glass, and prepare to restore law and honor in America. Our nation needs us.

Hillary could still be indicted. We must stand for the right against the very Establishment that Trump has a long record of fueling and funding.